Railway ditcher



April 14, 1925.

1,533,198. o. c, MANN RAILWAY DITCHER Filed Oct. l5. 1921..

OrgzZJG "Z16 827a Patented Apr, 14, 1925.

ur a srrss onvrnnn o. MANN, or onvrnnn o. MANN, CHICAGO, INDIANA,

FATENT OFFICE.

OAK PARK, ILLINOIS; EMMA I. MANN, EXECU'IRIX OE SAID DECEASED, ASSIGNOB TO 0. I. JORDAN COMPANY, 033 EAST A (JQRFQ'RATION OF INDIANA.

RAILWAY DIT CHER.

Application filed October 15, 1921v Cook and the State of Illinois, have invented ertain new and useful Improvements in Railway Ditchers, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

ine purpose of this invention is to provide means which will be easily applicable to a car equipped for alongside-track work, forcutting a drainage ditch parallel to the track. It consists in the elements and features of construction shown and described as indicated in the claims.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a plan view of a railway car 2 1 carrying a spreader equipped with this invention.

Figure 2 is a direct forward side elevation of the spreader wing and ditcher looking in the direction of the arrow, 2, on Figure 1. Figure 3 is a transverse vertical section of a car equipped with a spreading apparatus on a track and having the ditcher of this invention upon it, showing the ditch cut by the ditcher.

Figure 4, is a section at the line, l4:, on Figure 2. Figure 5 is a detail section along the line.

55, on Figure 1. V

The structure shown in the drawings comprises aflat car, A, having hinged to its opposite sides spreader wings, B, and having means for operating said spreader wings which forms no part of the present invention, and though shown conventionally in the drawings need not be here described. It is suficient for thepurpose of the present invention to indicate that the spreader wings are adapted to be extended rearwardly with-respect to the direction of advance of the car at a comparatively small acute angle thereto, usually and preferably about degrees, with-the lower edges of the spreader wing at the level and extending at a slight inclination downward away from the track which corresponds to the usually desired grading of thelateral portion of the railway bed to be thus finished by the ordinary operation of' the spreader. The feature constituting the present inven Serial No. 507,971.

tion consists of a trapezoidal ditcher blade, C, made of suitably heavy iron plate suitably braced, secured to the forward side of the spreader wing by angle iron cleats, C'-, C extending vertically, and a similar angle iron cleat, C extending along just back of the lower edge for stiffening it. The vertical width of this ditcher blade is such that its lower edge is about one foot below the lower edge of the spreader wing, thus adapting it to cut a ditch one foot deep below the graded level of the road-bed. The angle of slope of the two sides of the trapezoidal ditcher blade is enough wider than the desired angle of slope of the sides of the ditch to be cut to compensate for the very acute angle (about 30 degrees) at which the said ditcher blade extends to the direction of advance in its path for ditching as it is carried by the car. The slope of the banks of the ditch, being, as nearly as may be calculated, the angle of repose of'the material in view of its usually considerably cohesive character, is aboutGO degrees away from vertical, which requires the trapezoid angles of the ditcher blade tobe approximately 150 degrees.

The ditcher blade is mounted uponthe spreader wing with its inner end at the distancefrom the inner end of the wing corresponding to the desired distance of the ditch from the side of the track, usually about 11 feet. The length of the ditcher blade at its upper, wider edge, this is,'at the line of the lower edge of the spreader, is about 9 feet,vand its slopinglower edge for cutting a drainage ditch which shall be one foot deep, is about l feet and its shorter lower side is a little over 2 feet. lVith these dimensions the spreader wing of usual length eiztends about three or four feet beyond the outer end of the ditcher blade. In the operation of the device this results in the spreader wing taking the material which is excavated by the ditcher and spreading it back from the outer bank of the ditch far enough so that there is no danger of its falling back into the ditch.

In operating with this spreader and ditcher in a out where there is notroom outside the ditch for spreading the material excavated from the ditch, it is desirable to carry the excavated material forward along the line of advance to the end of'the out, and to I a place, where there may be, roomflor spreading it For this purpose, a retainer,

D, such as is frequently provided'in conretainer junction with a spreader for certain purposes, is:hingedto the forward side of the spreader wing at a point proximateto the outer end of the ditcher, C, and provided with a releasable tension brace. (Z, extending from the free end ofthe retainer,where itis disengageably connected by a pin engagingan ey boln, F,obl1quely for.- ward, and inward to the spreader wing, wln 1 has a, plurality of holes, 6, Z2, 6, at a ny selector-lone of which a similar eyejbolt, F, may be secured for attachingthc tension brace. tothe ,wing. This tension brace holds the retainer extending forwardly from he breeder ordinarily parallel ,to the; line ofgadvancejbutif "desired by shifting the eye-solar, toa different, hole, Z), it maybe set at asmallfangle I diverging .outward from tlie line. of-advaiice In eitherc-ase it stands justoutside the areato be occupied the ditch," l Vith this construction thereis enclosed between, the. spreader wingand the retainer, a space l11' WlllCh,tl19 material excavated theditcher maybe accumulated up to the heightf of the Spreader. wing, and reingfor a lli niteddistance, tothe end of: the out, orj'toahp lace wl iere there'is. an area aya'ilablefor spreading the excavated niat rial i When such; a place is reached the .Willfbofrfileesd and allowedto s11 ti -lie marter, p i g 3laiitlla j eet efth'e l ngth of e v scribed,

lVhen operati g witha spreader, whetl ier with or. withentI the; ditcher attached'as shown, wlren'the,banlgofthe cut isfrom 2' or theneabout, llLlS somet mes to s reet-hi" n I desirable t-ocarry the ii iaterial excavated p, i V der-orthe ditcher or by v up to the op of the bank for delivering 1 either onto or over the bank. For this purpose there 7 pnovided propeller-.- wing,

ingedito the forward side of-the spreador wingi'at .l' eslopingupwardly and outinoli nation of about detainer, and carried by them with out i spreadgrees, so that said propeller wing may be adjusted about its pivot so as to extend rearwardly in the direction of travel, outwardly, and upwardly, leaning forward, the up per end of its lower edge projecting above a-five foot bani-r. A- br ce, H si 1121 connected disengageably across the acute angle between'the spreader wing and the propeller wingserves to hold the latter in operative position for propelling the i- -,ated'and spread material upwardly alone the slopeand to the top of the ban, fJoring it onto, the bank, or over its 0 est if it slopes downwardly on the opposite side. hen passing under viaducts or any 0 *erhead structurecrossing the track, the spreader wing H, isswungup wholly or partly out ofoperative position, the brace, H will be disconnected and the propeller wing allowed to swing down against the forward side of spreader wing as shown in dotted line in Figure 2, I

Icla-iin:, V

1. In combination with a car, a spreader wing operativelycconnected to one side of the gear and normally extending rearwardly and'laterally therefrom, a-ditcher blade rigidly secured to the front face thereof at a point spaced from theouter end of said wing, a retainingwing pivoted to the front side of the spreader wing at a point proximate to the outer end of the ditchcr blade,

and detachable means for securing said re taining wing at a position extending forwardly from said spreader wingoutside the path of thelditch er plate and substantially parallel with side of thecar.

2. In; combination :with a car, a spreader wing operatively connected to one side of the. car and-normally extending rearwardly and laterally th'erefrom, a ditcher blade rigidly secured to the front face thereof at a. point spaced from the outer end of said wing, a retai ning wing pivoted to the front side ofthe spreader wing at a pointproximate to the: outer end of the ditcher blade, and detachable means for securing said rewing at, a position extending forwa dly fromsaid spreader wing outside then tially parallel with theside ofthe car, said retaining wing being; of a length greater than 'thedistance between its pivotal connection, with the i spreader wing and the outer endof said wing so that when said securing means have been detached, said retaining means may be swung back into a position forming a continuation of said spreader Wing.

3; In combination with a carrying arm andimeans for mounting it on the side of the car extending rearwardly off therefrom,

means on said arm' for removing material from the s de-of the road bed, a propeller wing hinged to the forward SE16 of'said iath of thefditcher. plate and 'substancarrying arm at a line extending upwardly and outwardly and being thereby adapted to be swung to and from the face of the arm, and means for holding said propeller wing extending upwardly, outwardly and forwardly from the carrying arm.

4:. In combination with a car, a spreader wing pivotally connected thereto and nor mally extending rearwardly and laterally therefrom, a relatively short propeller plate hinged to the front side thereof near its outer end upon a pivotal axis inclined from the vertical so that said plate may be swung toward and away from the front face of the spreader wing, and means for securing it when extending upwardly outwardly and forwardly from said spreader wing.

5. In combination with a spreader wing, a ditcher plate secured to the forward face thereof and, extending downwardly below the lower edge thereof, a bracing member secured to the rear face of the ditching plate below the lower edge of the spreader wing and extending upwardly into contact with the rear face of the spreader wing.

6. In combination with a spreader wing, a tapered ditcher plate secured to the forward face thereof and extending downwardly below the lower edge of the spreader wing, a reinforcing plate secured to the rear face of the ditching blade along the lower edge thereof and a reinforcing member secured to the rear face of the ditching blade below the lower edge of the spreader wing and extending upwardly into engagement with the rear face of the spreader wing.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Chicago, Illinois, this 12th day of October, A. D. 1921.

ORVILLE O. MANN. 

